Gas-engine starter.



'W. s. HANSON. GAS ENGINE STARTER. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 16, 1912.

4 R m n v a h M a w H P "Gm v NVN WITNESSES y cym %%WM At/orneys,

UNITED STATE? PATEN T OFFICE.

WILLIAMS. HANSON, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GAS-ENGINE STARTER.

To all whom it may concern: v

Be it known that I, Wnmmm S. HANSON, a subject of the Ki g of Great Britain, residing at Auburn Park, Chicago,- in the 5, county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in GasEngine Starters, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to devices for starting internal combustion engines, and has special reference to'means for starting engines mounted upon automobiles, the particular object of the invention being to provide simple and efficient means wherebythc chauffeur may start the engine without leaving his seat and, consequently, without running any risk offracturing his arm or suffering other injury from the use of the ordinary crank attached directly to the engine driving shaft.

The invention seeks'to provide means normally free of the driving shaft of the engine adapted to be quickly connected with said sliaft,and means for readily imparting 26 rotary motion to the shaft through said normally disconnected means.

The stated object, and other objects which will incidentally appear from the descripftion of the invention hereinafter given, are 80 attained in such mechanism as is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and the invention resides in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be particularly pointed out 5 in the claims following the description.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved engine starting mechanism in working position wlth parts broken away; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the controlling lever and the parts immediately adjaeent thereto; Fig. 3 is an elevation of the actuating mechanism in normal position.

In carrying out my present invention,

secure upon the body of the automobile, at

any suitable point convenient to the chauffeurs seat, a bracket v 1 having aboss 2 formed thereon which constitutes ai -bearing for-thestarting shaft 3, a similar bearing 4 being provided at any convenient point of thebody or frame of the yehicle. The starting shaft-is slida-bly mounted inthe said bearings' and is equipped at' one end with a gear wheel 5 adapted to mesh with a gear wheel 6 rigid with the driving shaft 7 of the engii1'e.'- be starting shaft is normally held in suchposition-that the gear wheel 5 will be Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed November 15, 1912. Serial No. 731,626.

Patented Mar. 3. 1911.

held away from the gear wheel 6 by a spring 8 coiled around the shaft between the fixed bearing i and a collar or other 'stop 9 rigid with the starting shaft. as will be readily understood. The end of the starting shaft remote from the gear wheel 5 extends through and beyond the lower end of a controlling or operating lever 10 which is loosely titted to the said end of the shaft and carries a pawl 11 adapted to engage a ratchet wheel 12 so that. when the lever swings in one direction. the pawl will ride over the ratchet wheel, but. when the lever swings in the opposite direction, the pawl will engage the teeth of said wheel and thereby actuate the starting shaft. to which the ratchet wheel is fixed. and, through the intermeshing gear wheels 5 and 6, impart rotary motion to the driving shaft 7 of the engine. A latch 13 is slidably mounted on one edge of the lever IO'and is normally held in its lowered position by a spring 14 secured to the latch and to'the lower portion of the lever, the lower extremity of the latch beingpivotally attached to a cam 15. The said cam is Div. oted to a collar 16, fitted loosely on the shaft 3, and one end of the cam engages a groove in the side of the lever, indicated at 17,.while the opposite end of the cam bears against an offset or arm 18 extending from-the bracket 1 and provided with a stop 19 to limit the downward movement of the said end of the cam. When the grip upon the handle 20 of the latch is released. the spring 14 will'pull the latch downward and thereby move the cam so that. the low part thereof will be presented to the lever and the upper portion of the offset 18. Consequently, moved, under the'influence of the spring 8, to its normal position shown in Fig. 3.-;

When it is desired to start the enginie, the chauffeur grasps the lever 10 and the hhn'dle 20 of the latch, thereby moving thesaid handle against the handle end of the lelverand, consequently, raising the-latch against the tension of the spring 14. as It will'be readily noted that the lower end of the lever is forkedand spans the ratchet wheel 12 which is fixed to the starting shaft. Consequently. ing against the lever is raised. the lever .Wll be forced toward the brac eral movement will be transmitted through the ratchet wheel to the starting shaftso thatthe gear wheel 7- will be caused to mesh with the gear wheel 6. The lever is then before stated.

when the end of the cam bearket 1 and this latoscillated about the end of the engine starting shaft and rotary motion imparted to the ratchet Wheel 12 and the-driving shaft. -A few vibrations of the lever. is ordinarily suficient to start the engine and the lever is thenreleased whereupon the parts assume their normal positions.

It will bereadily noted that the device is exceedingly simple in the construction and arrangementv of its parts and may be easily applied to any automobile body.

' A fixed guide or bearing 21 may beprovided to receive the outer end of the starting shaft so as to support the same against torsional strain and the starting shaft maybe extendeddirectly from the operating lever to the driving shaft of the engine, as indi- .cated in the drawings, or it may be in the form of a-flex bleshaft or otherwise constructed 1n members connected by gearing.

The collar 16, being loose on' the starting shaft, may turn about the same and also permit sliding movement thereof. The collar is thus enabled to follow the movements of the operating lever and maintain its engagement therewith Without any liability of distortion or breakage."

By the use of my device, the engine may.

be started without any necessity of the chauffeur leaving his seat and, consequently, the violent labor arid danger incident to the use of the ordinary crank is entirely avoided.

What I claim is 1. The combination with an engine sl'iaft, of a starting shaft, a starting lever, means whereby said starting lever may rotate the startihg shaft, a cam disposed to shift the starting shaft axially and thereby connect the same with the engine shaft, and means carried by the starting lever to actuate said earn.

2. An engine starting device comprising (topics of this patezit may be obtained for lever and attached to the said cam, and a.

spring connected with the lever and the latch v to hold the can: normally in inoperative position. y

3. In an engine starting device, the combination with an engine shaft of a supporting bracket having a lateral arm projecting therefrom, a stop on said arm, a starting shaft slidably journaled in said bracket, a cam arranged to impart axial movemmt to the shaft and thereby connect the same engine shaft and engagingthe said arm above the stop thereon, means for rotat'in the starting shaft, and means carried by sai rotatingmeans to actuate the said cam.

4. In an engine starting device, the combination with an engine shaft of a sup orting bracket, a starting shaft slidably journaled therein, a ratchet wheel fixed on said shaft, a lever loosely fulcrumed on the shaft and spanning said ratchet wheel, a collar loose on the end of the shaft, a cam pivoted on said collar and engaging'the bracket and the side of the lever, means carried by the lever to actuate the cam and effect axial movement of the starting shaft in one direction, anal, means acting on the shaft to effect axial movement thereof in the opposite direction and thereby disconnect the same from the engine shaft. I

in testimony whereof I allix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

Wl LLIAM S. HANSON. [n.sf]

Witnesses:

HARRY 1. Mason", J. A. Woninmx.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patent. Washington, D. C.

to the. 

